Iraq Cry -
Patriarch Abraham's home attacked by the United States of America - an attack upon three faiths in God, Old Testament Israelite (not to ever be confused with anti-Christian, anti-Muslim Judaism) and Christian and Muslim

IRAQ CRY

IRAQ CRY - PATRIARCH ABRAHAM'S HOME ATTACKED BY THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - AN ATTACK UPON THREE FAITHS IN GOD, OLD TESTAMENT ISRAELITE (NOT TO EVER BE CONFUSED WITH ANTI-CHRISTIAN, anti-muslim JUDAISM) AND CHRISTIAN AND MUSLIM

Sunday, February 12, 2012

The C.I.A. in Iran

The Central Intelligence Agency's secret history of its covert operation to overthrow Iran's government in 1953 offers an inside look at how the agency stumbled into success, despite a series of mishaps that derailed its original plans.

Written in 1954 by one of the coup's chief planners, the history details how United States and British officials plotted the military coup that returned the shah of Iran to power and toppled Iran's elected prime minister, an ardent nationalist.

The document shows that:

Britain, fearful of Iran's plans to nationalize its oil industry, came up with the idea for the coup in 1952 and pressed the United States to mount a joint operation to remove the prime minister.

The C.I.A. and S.I.S., the British intelligence service, handpicked Gen. Fazlollah Zahedi to succeed Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh and covertly funneled $5 million to General Zahedi's regime two days after the coup prevailed.

Iranians working for the C.I.A. and posing as Communists harassed religious leaders and staged the bombing of one cleric's home in a campaign to turn the country's Islamic religious community against Mossadegh's government.

The shah's cowardice nearly killed the C.I.A. operation. Fearful of risking his throne, the Shah repeatedly refused to sign C.I.A.-written royal decrees to change the government. The agency arranged for the shah's twin sister, Princess Ashraf Pahlevi, and Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf, the father of the Desert Storm commander, to act as intermediaries to try to keep him from wilting under pressure. He still fled the country just before the coup succeeded.

1979• Khomeini returns to proclaim an Islamic republic. With his support, Iranian students occupy the American Embassy in Tehran. Fifty-two Americans are held hostage for 444 days. The United States freezes Iranian assets.

1980

1980• The United States breaks ties with Iran, bans American exports to the country and expels Iranian diplomats.

1981• The hostages are released minutes after President Carter's term ends. A United States-Iran claims tribunal is set up in The Hague. 1988• The American cruiser Vincennes mistakenly shoots down an Iranian airliner over the Persian Gulf, killing all 290 aboard.Corbis/Bettman - UPI

1980• A secret American military mission to rescue the hostages is aborted because of bad weather. Eight servicemen die in a helicopter crash. The shah dies in Egypt at age 60.

1986• Revelations emerge of an American deal to exchange arms for Iranian help in freeing hostages held in Lebanon. 1989• Ayatollah Khomeini dies and is replaced as the nation's spiritual leader by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The speaker of Iran's Parliament, Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, is elected president.

1990Agence France Presse

1997 • Mohammad Khatami, a moderate cleric, wins Iran's presidential election. Clinton calls the election hopeful, but insists that ties are not possible until Iran renounces terrorism, opposition to the Middle East peace effort and weapons of mass destruction.• Clinton asks Khatami for help in solving the 1996 bombing of a Saudi building in which 19 American servicemen died and hundreds were wounded.• The Clinton administration renews an offer for talks "on the basis of equality and mutual respect." Iran rejects the offer two days later.• The United States agrees to let Boeing provide Iran's national airline with parts to ensure the safety of its 747's.

1993 • The Clinton administration starts a campaign to isolate Iran, accusing it of supporting terrorism, seeking nuclear arms and trying to derail Middle East peace.

1996• President Clinton signs a law that imposes sanctions on foreign companies investing heavily in "terrorist" Iran or Libya.

1998 • Khatami proposes cultural exchanges as a way to end mistrust, but rules out a government-to-government dialogue.• Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright invites Iranians to join with the United States in drawing up "a road map leading to normal relations." Iran responds that such a step must be followed up by acts.

1999• The Clinton administration announces it will let American companies sell food and medical items to three countries off-limits as terrorist — Iran, Libya and Sudan.

2000

2000 • Albright announces the lifting of a ban on American imports of Iranian luxury goods. She acknowledges America's role in the 1953 coup, coming closer to apologizing for it than any American official ever has.The Associated Press

March 1953• The C.I.A. begins drafting a plan to bring to power, through covert action, a government in Iran that would be preferred by the United States.

April 4, 1953

• Secretary of State John Foster Dulles approves a budget of $1,000,000 to be used to "...bring about the fall of Mossadegh." -->

April 16, 1953• A C.I.A. study entitled "Factors Involved in the Overthrow of Mossadegh" is completed. The study concludes that a coup in Iran is possible.

May 13, 1953• C.I.A. and British intelligence officers meet in Nicosia, Cyprus, to draft plans for the coup. Meanwhile, the C.I.A.'s Tehran station is granted approval to launch a "grey propaganda" campaign to discredit the Mossadegh government.

June 10, 1953• C.I.A. officers meet in Beirut for a final review of the coup plan.

June 19, 1953• The final operation plan for the coup, agreed upon by both the C.I.A. and British intelligence, is submitted to the U.S. State Department and the Foreign Office in London.

July 1, 1953• Britain's prime minister gives final approval to the operational plan for the coup.

July 11, 1953• President Eisenhower gives final approval to the operational plan for the coup.

July 23, 1953• A British Foreign Office memorandum is presented to an Under Secretary of State, reassuring the U.S. that the British would be flexible on the issue of controlling oil in Iran.

July 25, 1953• Under pressure from the C.I.A., Princess Ashraf, the Shah's sister, flies to Tehran from France in order to convince the Shah to sign the royal decrees that would dismiss Mossadegh."...should the Shah fail to go along with the U.S. representative or fail to produce the [legal] documents for General Zahedi, Zahedi would be informed that the United States would be ready to go ahead without the Shah's active cooperation..." — C.I.A. Document, Appendix B, page 10

July 29, 1953• The C.I.A. intensifies a propaganda effort, which included planting stories in major American newspapers, to weaken the Mossadegh government.

Aug. 1, 1953• In a meeting with Gen. H. Norman Schwartzkopf, the Shah refuses to sign the C.I.A.-written royal decrees firing Mossadegh and naming Gen. Zahedi as the new prime minister of Iran.

Aug. 4, 1953• Mossadegh, suspecting that British and American governments were plotting against him, holds a referendum calling for the Iranian parliament to be dissolved.

Aug. 13, 1953• The shah signs a royal decrees dismissing Mossadegh. Word of the shah's support for the coup spreads quickly in Iran.

Aug. 15, 1953• The coup begins, but falters and then fails because Mossadegh received advanced warning of the plans. Zahedi goes into hiding.

Aug. 16, 1953• The shah flees to Baghdad.

Aug. 17, 1953• Gen. Zahedi announces that he is the prime minister. To support this claim, C.I.A. agents disseminate a large quantity of photographs of the royal decrees dismissing Mossadegh and appointing Zahedi. The shah announces that he indeed signed the decrees.

Aug. 18, 1953• The C.I.A., discouraged by the failed coup, sends a message to Tehran ordering the operations against Mossadegh to be halted.

Aug. 19, 1953• Several Tehran newspapers publish the Shah's decrees. As a result, supporters of the Shah begin gathering in the streets, and another coup begins. Gen. Zahedi comes out of hiding to lead the movement. By the end of the day, the country is in the hands of Zahedi and members of the Mossadegh government are either in hiding or incarerated.

SLIDE SHOW: Demonstrations Erupt During Coup"From the fact that certain actions provided for in the military plan failed to materialize ... it was obvious that something had gone wrong." — C.I.A. Document, Part VII, page 44

"After discussion between Roosevelt and Rashidian, they reverted to a decision closer to the original London draft of TPAJAX, deciding that there should be two royal decrees, one dismissing Mossadegh and one naming Zahedi as Prime Minister." — C.I.A. Document, Part IV, page 36 -->

"The Director, on April 4, 1953, approved a budget of $1,000,000 which could be be used by the Tehran Station in any way that would bring about the fall of Mossadegh." — C.I.A. Document, Part I, page 3

"The purpose will be to create, extend, and enhance public hostility and distrust and fear of Mossadegh and his government." — C.I.A. Document, Appendix B, page 15